Chair



April 30, 1963 H. FIDEL 3,087,757

CHAIR Filed April 14. 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVE NTOR HYMAN FIDELATTORNEYS.

H. FlDEL CHAIR April 30, 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 14. 1961INVENTOR BY HYMAN FIDEL RM? ATTORNEYS.

April 30, 1963 H. FIDEL 3,087,757

CHAIR Filed April 14, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 8O FIG. 10. j 6 72 g I04 8484 96 8,

FIG. 6. 1.

INVENTOR HYMAN FIDEL BY W 64L g AT'T 0 RN EYS,

United States Patent Ofiice 3,087,757 Patented Apr. 30, 1963 York FiledApr. 14, 1961, Ser. No. 102,982 2 Claims. (Cl. 297434) This inventionrelates to chairs having movable footrests, such as the type of chairused in beauty parols, barber shops, and the like. More particularly,this invention is directed to novel and simplified operating means forextending and retracting a footrest movably associated therewith.

The present invention is directed to a chair having a footrest that ishinged along the front edge of the seat of the chair so as to be movedbetween a forwardly extending position in substantial alignment with thechair seat and a retracted position. Heretofore the operating mechanismsprovided for such purpose have been complex and costly. Frequently, suchmechanisms have not been operable by the occupant of the chair. Further,in many instances When the footrest is in retracted position it is invertical abutment against the front edge of the seat, so that there isno accessible foot room beneath the chair and consequently the occupantis not offered a maximum degree of comfort.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a single operatingmechanism for moving a footrest from an extended to a retractedposition, and vice versa.

A further object is to provide a chair with a movable fo-otrest whichwhen in retracted position folds beneath the chair seat and abuts inparallel relationship against the underside of the chair seat to formthe bottom thereof so as to provide ample free foot room beneath thechair and thereby maximize the comfort of the occupant.

Another object is to provide a chair with a retractable footrest and anadjustable back, the footrest and the back each separately andindependently adjustable by the occup-ant of the chair.

The above and other objects, characteristics and features of thisinvention will become more apparent from the following description takenin connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.

In accordance with the present invention, I provide a chair having aseat with a recess on the underside thereof to accommodate the footrest*when in retracted position. An operating means for the footrest isprovided compris' ing a toggle assembly including a pair of links havingadjacent ends thereof pivotally connected, one of the links having itsopposite end pivo-tally connected to the footrest, the other of thelinks having its opposite end secured to a rotatable shaft extendingtransversely of the chair through the seat thereof. This shaft projectsbeyond one side of the chair and has an operating handle secured theretowhich can be manipulated by the chair occupant to rotate the shaft andhence operate the toggle linkage.

When the toggle is in collapsed condition the two levers are disposedwithin the recess and between the underside of the seat and the bottomside of the footrest, the two links of the toggle each extending in thesame direction toward the back of the seat from their pivotalinterconnection. By moving the operating handle the shaft is rotated toswing the links down and out into an extended aligned position slightlybeyond a relation, in which position means on the links interengage toprevent further movement in the same direction, thus locking" thetoggle. During this operation the footrest is swung first downwardly andthen outwardly to its projected position, the farthest projectionoccurring when the links are in 180 relationship to one another. As thelinks move beyond this position to lock the toggle, the footrest is veryslightly retracted, the weight of the footrest against the links servingto maintain the toggle in locked condition.

The footrest is returned to the fully retracted position simply byrotating the handle to thereby rotate the shaft in the reversedirection, thereby moving the toggle through the 180 position andcollapsing the toggle. During the retraction, the footrest is firstslightly extended (at the 180 position of the links), then graduallyswung down and folded under the chair and into the recess in theunderside of the seat. Desir-ably a spring type of retaining catchreleasably holds the footrest in the retracted position against theunderside of the seat.

The invention will be more completely understood by reference to theaccompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the chair with the footrest in retractedposition, the dotted lines serving to show the footrest in extendedposition;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of FIG.1, partly broken away, showing the footrest retracted;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary plan view of the bottom of the chair, thefootrest partially broken away to illustrate the operating mechanism;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2, showing the foot rest in extendedposition;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 2, showing the footrest in intermediateposition between extension and retraction;

FIG. 6 is an elevation view of the back of the chair, with the coverremoved to show the adjusting mechanism;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view along the line 77 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view along the line 8-8 of FIG. 6; and

FIGS. 9 and 10 are enlarged sectional views of the adjustment lockillustrating two different positions thereof.

Referring to the drawings and particularly to FIGS. 15, the inventionillustrated as applied to a chair 10 of the type used in beauty parlors,having a footrest 12 pivotally connected thereto. Chair 10 is providedwith U- shaped members 14 which support the seat 16 and back 18 of thechair. The lower ends 20 of the U-shaped members serve as legs for thechair and the upper portions 22 serve as support for arm rests 24. Theseat 16 is provided with a recess 26 along the underside thereof whichaccommodates the footrest when in retracted position.

Footrest 12 consists of a base 28 that is substantially rectangular inside elevation and an end member 30 attached thereto, this end memberbeing parallelpiped in side elevation. The footrest generally has acover 32 of leather, plastic, scuff-resistant fabric or the like overits outer surface. The rear edge of member 30 of the footrest 12 ishinged to the front edge of the seat 16 by a piano hinge 34. The widthof the footrest 12 is just slightly less than the width of the recess 26along the underside of the seat 16, so that the footrest nests snugly insaid recess when in retracted position. Footrest 12 is releasablyretained in this position by a projecting bottom 36 on the bottom of thebase 28 which snaps into spring 38 mounted in the back portion of recess26. Bottom 36 and spring 38 form a resilient frictional retaining catchof the type used on the doors of kitchen cabinets and the like.

Brackets 40 mounted on the inner surfaces of the sides of seat 16rotatably support a shaft 42 having a projecting end connected to anoperating handle 44. Collars 46 retain the shaft 42 in position, andhandle 44 is bowed outwardly to clear the adjacent chair leg 20.

Shaft 42 is connected to footrest 12 by a toggle mechanism. This togglemechanism comprises a link 48 having a hub 50 secured to shaft 42 forrotation therewith. The other end of link 48 is pivotally connected toone end of another link 52 as at 53, which link 52 has its other endpivotally connected to a bracket 54 fixed to base 28 of footrest 12. Theend of link 52 adjacent connection 53 is provided with an L shapedbracket attachment 56 adapted to engage the bottom of link 48 when thetoggle is extended to thereby lock the toggle in a slightly overcenteredcondition.

In order to move footrest 12 from its retracted position (FIG. 2) to itsextended position (FIG. 4), handle 44 is rotated clockwise therebyrotating shaft 42 in a clockwise direction (as viewed in FIGS. 2, 4 andThis causes the pivotal juncture 53 between links 48 and 52 to rotateclockwise until links 48 and 52 extend in opposite directions frompivotal juncture 53 in 180 relation. As rotation of handle 44 iscontinued the links pass beyond the 180 position until the bracket 56 onlink 52 engages the edge 58 of link 48. This locks the toggle with thefootrest 12 extended. The greater the downward force upon the footrest,the more secure the lock will be. The footrest is retracted by simplyrotating handle 44 counterclockwise thereby breaking the toggle andreversing the direction of movement of links 48 and 52 until button 36engages receiving spring member 38. At this point footrest 12 isreceived in recess 26 and forms the bottom of seat 16, with links 48 and52 disposed within recess 26 between the seat and the underside of thefootrest.

In accordance with the preferred form of my invention, I combine mynovel footrest with a reclining back, which back is adjustableindependently of the footrest.

Referring to FIGS. 6 through 10, back 18 includes a suitably paddedquadrilateral frame 60 of wood or metal to which a back cover issecured. Back 18 is pivotally supported on upright portions 62 oftubular frame 14 by means of a cross shaft 64 extending through thesides of frame 60 and having brackets 64 secured on its outer endsshaped to conformingly fit portions 62 to which brackets 64 are rivetedor bolted. A crank 66 is secured to the midpoint of shaft 64, whichlatter is held against turning by brackets 64.

A pair of angle irons 68 extend in spaced relation vertically of frame60 between the upper and lower members thereof. On the lower rail offrame 60, a pair of angle brackets 70 are mounted between angle irons68, and shaft 64 extends through angle irons 68 and brackets 70. Nearthe upper end of frame 60 a shaft 72 extends through the side rails offrame 60 through angle irons 68 and through an angle bracket 74 securedto the upper rail of frame 60 between angle irons 68. Shaft 72 hasoperating handles 75 secured to either end and is formed with aflattened eye 76 (FIG. 8) between one angle iron 68 and the nearer siderail of frame 60.

A bolt 78 extends through eye 76 and has a head 80 engaging the upperside of the eye. A sleeve 81 is slidable on bolt 78 and has a head 82engaging the lower side of eye 76. The lower end of bolt 78 is threadedand extends through an aperture in the outer end of a locking bar 84.Locking bar 84 is adjustably positioned on bolt 78 by a nut 86 on thebolt, and a spring 88 embracing bolt 78 urges head 82 of sleeve 81against eye 76 and bar 84 against nut 86.

Bar 84 extends with substantial clearance through an apertured boss 90on a saddle plate 92 bolted to angle irons 68. The inner end of bar 84is apertured to loosely embrace a. rod 94 slidable through centralapertured bosses 96 on plate 92 the plate having an aperture 98 betweenbosses 96. A coil spring 100 embraces rod 94 between bar 84 and thelower boss 96. A pin 102 connects the lower end of rod 94 to crank 66and a pin 104 in the upper end of rod 94 limits relative downwardmovement of the rod.

The adjustment lock arrangement operates as follows. In the positionshown in FIGS. 6 and 9, the combined action of springs 80 and 10-0biases locking bar counterclockwise and holds eye 76 flatly pressedbetween 80 and 82. In this position, bar 84 is cocked so that thecorners of its inner aperture bite into rod 94, as shown in FIG. 9, andthus lock plate 92 and rod 94 against relative movement. If eitherhandle 75 is rotated, eye 76 is turned to pull up head 80 and bolt 78.This swings bar 84 to the position of FIG. 10 so that rod 94 may movefreely through the aperture in the inner end of bar 84. Back 18 may thuspivot about rod 64 relative to tubular frame 14 and is locked inadjusted position by releasing handle 75.

Accordingly, it will be seen that both the footrest and the back areeach separately and independently adjustable by the user of the chair.

While a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown anddescribed in detail to illustrate the application of the inventionprinciples, it will be understood that the invention may be embodiedotherwise without departing from such principles.

What I claim is:

l. A chair comprising a body including a frame, a seat having a recessin the underside thereof mounted to said frame, a back, and a footresthaving one edge thereof pivoted to said seat along the front edgethereof, releasable spring means on the underside of said footrestadapted to cooperate with spring-engaging means on the underside portionof said seat for retaining the footrest in retracted position withinsaid recess and in abutting parallel relation with the underside of saidseat, a rotatable shaft extending transversely of said chair and mountedin said seat, an operating handle secured to one end of said rotatableshaft and projecting therefrom with the free end thereof accessible fromsaid seat, and a toggle assembly operatively connecting said rotatableshaft with said footrest, said toggle assembly comprising a first linkhaving one end pivotally secured to the underside of said footrest, asecond link pivotally secured at one end to said first link and havingits other end fixedly secured to said rotatable shaft, and means forlocking said links against pivotal movement when positioned in theoperative elevated position of said footrest comprising a transverselyextending abutment on one of said links extendable under and engageablewith the other link at a point adjacent the pivotal connection of saidlinks, whereby said footrest may be released from its extended positionand retracted by rotation of said rock shaft, thereby causing said linksto pivot downward and rearward so as to draw said footrest into saidrecess to abut in parallel relation against the underside of said seat.

2. In a chair having a seat with a front and two sides, a shaftrotatably mounted on said seat parallel to said front, a handle fixed tosaid shaft for rotating the latter, a bottom for said seat pivotallymounted along the front thereof, and a toggle connecting said shaft tosaid bottom, said toggle including a first link fixed at one end to saidshaft for rotation thereof and pivotally connected at its other end toone end of the other of said links, the other end of said other linkbeing pivotally connected to said bottom, said toggle parts being sopositioned and proportioned that when said bottom is in underlyingrelation with said seat said links are substantially in side-by-siderelation and when said shaft is rotated about said links aresubstantially in alignment in end-to-end rela- 3,087,757 7 5 V 6tionship and said bottom extends outwardly of said chair ReferencesCited in the file of this patent to serve as a footrest therefor, andabutment means on one of said links adapted to engage the other of saidlinks UNITED STATES PATENTS when they are substantially in end-to-endrelation for 1,380,934 Spear June 7, 1921 preventing relative movementof said link in a given dlrec- 5 1 847 755 F d M l 1932 tion, saidbottom being retractable from said outwardly 3 extending position byrotation of said shaft whereby said 2,600,374 0 w June 1952 2,612,939Burdlck Oct. 7, 1952 links pivot downwardly and rearwardly so as tocause said bottom to abut in parallel relation against the under- 2, 3May May 12, 1953 side of said seat. 10 2,833,338 Fidel May 6, 1958

1. A CHAIR COMPRISING A BODY INCLUDING A FRAME, A SEAT HAVING A RECESSIN THE UNDERSIDE THEREOF MOUNTED TO SAID FRAME, A BACK, AND A FOOTRESTHAVING ONE EDGE THEREOF PIVOTED TO SAID SEAT ALONG THE FRONT EDGETHEREOF, RELEASABLE SPRING MEANS ON THE UNDERSIDE OF SAID FOOTRESTADAPTED TO COOPERATE WITH SPRING-ENGAGING MEANS ON THE UNDERSIDE PORTIONOF SAID SEAT FOR RETAINING THE FOOTREST IN RETRACTED POSITION WITHINSAID RECESS AND IN ABUTTING PARALLEL RELATION WITH THE UNDERSIDE OF SAIDSEAT, A ROTATABLE SHAFT EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF SAID CHAIR AND MOUNTEDIN SAID SEAT, AN OPERATING HANDLE SECURED TO ONE END OF SAID ROTATABLESHAFT AND PROJECTING THEREFROM WITH THE FREE END THEREOF ACCESSIBLE FROMSAID SEAT, AND A TOGGLE ASSEMBLY OPERATIVELY CONNECTING SAID ROTATABLESHAFT WITH SAID FOOTREST, SAID TOGGLE ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A FIRST LINKHAVING ONE END PIVOTALLY SECURED TO THE UNDERSIDE OF SAID FOOTREST, ASECOND LINK PIVOTALLY SECURED AT ONE END TO SAID FIRST LINK AND HAVINGITS OTHER END FIXEDLY SECURED TO SAID ROTATABLE SHAFT, AND MEANS FORLOCKING SAID LINKS AGAINST PIVOTAL MOVEMENT WHEN POSITIONED IN THEOPERATIVE ELEVATED POSITION OF SAID FOOTREST COMPRISING A TRANSVERSELYEXTENDING ABUTMENT ON ONE OF SAID LINKS EXTENDABLE UNDER AND ENGAGEABLEWITH THE OTHER LINK AT A POINT ADJACENT THE PIVOTAL CONNECTION OF SAIDLINKS, WHEREBY SAID FOOTREST MAY BE RELEASED FROM ITS EXTENDED POSITIONAND RETRACTED BY ROTATION OF SAID ROCK SHAFT, THEREBY CAUSING SAID LINKSTO PIVOT DOWNWARD AND REARWARD SO AS TO DRAW SAID FOOTREST INTO SAIDRECESS TO ABUT IN PARALLEL RELATION AGAINST THE UNDERSIDE OF SAID SEAT.